This invention relates to a mounting device for an accelerometer, and more particularly, to an adaptor for mounting the accelerometer thereto and connecting the adaptor to a housing for enclosing the accelerometer.
An accelerometer is a transducer which produces an electrical signal proportional to the level of acceleration to which it is subjected. The accelerometer is used for measuring vibration of, for example, industrial equipment, such as pumps or motors, for incipient failure detection and to facilitate diagnostic machinery analysis. There are several commercially available accelerometer designs, one of which is the piezoelectric accelerometer. A piezoelectric accelerometer is an electromechanical transducer that generates an electrical output when subjected to vibration. The electrical output will be directly proportional to the acceleration of the accelerometer base, over a limited frequency range and dynamic range. Piezoelectric accelerometers contain a piezoceramic sensing element attached between the mounting surface of the accelerometer and an inertial mass. The piezoceramic material has the property of producing an electrical signal proportional to its mechanical deformation, within the elastic limits of the material. This deformation is caused by the inertial force of the mass which is attached to the ceramic. This mass tends to remain at its existing level of motion when a changing acceleration is applied to the mounting surface of the accelerometer and thus a net instantaneous force appears across the crystal.
When exposed to a corrosive environment, the accelerometer not only corrodes but loses its precision in its sensing capabilities in a short period of time. In order to protect the accelerometer from the environment and the elements and still allow the accelerometer to function according to its original specifications, a novel adaptor for mounting the accelerometer and a housing member thereto has been developed.